How Nigeria can meet food requirements, by World Bank consultant

For Nigeria to meet her food requirements, small scale
farmers, who are still the linchpin of agricultural
development, should form the central focus of structural transformation of agricultural economy.
A consultant to both the World Bank and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Professor Ipadeola Olaifa, gave the advice in Oyo town, at a two-day forum of Farmers Associations from Oyo, Oke-Ogun and Ogbomoso areas of Oyo State.
Olaifa said the present situation calls for the mobilisation
of all resources and all the sectors of the economy, adding that
because agriculture is still at the grassroots level, roles of Local Governments and Traditional Rulers as enhancers / promoters and motivators in increased agricultural production cannot be over-emphasised.
“Also, lack of production credit is an important constraint in
expanding food production and modernising agriculture, especially among the small holder farmers. Small holder farmers need cash credit to purchase improved farm inputs such as organic fertilizers, herbicides,insecticides, improved and new seed varieties, farm equipment, and even to hire labour”.
He stated that while lack of credit facilities may not prevent the
adoption of new technology by some wealthy individuals, experience in
Nigeria and elsewhere has shown that “unless production credit is made
available on suitable terms, majority of small farmers will be
seriously handicapped in adopting profitable technology”.
Olaifa, a renowned Toxicologist with Ladoke Akintola
University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, lamented that the problem of production credit to small holder farmers is more of inability to meet the loan conditions than that of credit availability per se.
“One of such conditions is the provision of adequate and acceptable security or collateral for the money being sought. Small holder farmers in Nigeria face special problems in providing such security, because farm land is generally held in communal ownership, and their other property is often too limited in value or of a type against which it would be difficult to enforce”.
While identifying the provision of collateral as one the most
teething problems small farmers have to grapple with in Nigeria, the expert noted that the means of getting around this problem has, therefore, been a subject of trial and error by several financial institutions in the country.
The FAO / World Bank Consultant however suggested that all
Agro-service Centres in the Country be equipped with all essential agricultural machines, implements, tractors, improved seeds, inputs and training facilities for farmers.
“All Research Institutes, Universities of Agriculture and River Basin Development Authorities should be adequately financed and be monitored to see that they provide and satisfy the country with the research products each of them is delegated to produce. This will put an end to
research findings to grow and die in the laboratories”.